1 H e who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.

Come up hath a scatterer to thy face, Keep the bulwark, watch the way, Strengthen the loins, strengthen power mightily.

2 F or the Lord will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, For the emptiers have emptied them out And ruined their vine branches.

For turned back hath Jehovah to the excellency of Jacob, As the excellency of Israel, For emptied them out have emptiers, And their branches they have marred.

3 T he shields of his mighty men are made red, The valiant men are in scarlet. The chariots come with flaming torches In the day of his preparation, And the spears are brandished.

The shield of his mighty ones is become red, Men of might scarlet, With fiery torches the chariot in a day of his preparation, And the firs have been caused to tremble.

4 T he chariots rage in the streets, They jostle one another in the broad roads; They seem like torches, They run like lightning.

In out-places shine do the chariots, They go to and fro in broad places, Their appearances like torches, As lightnings they run.

5 H e remembers his nobles; They stumble in their walk; They make haste to her walls, And the defense is prepared.

He doth remember his honourable ones, They stumble in their goings, They hasten its wall, and prepared is the covering.

6 T he gates of the rivers are opened, And the palace is dissolved.

Gates of the rivers have been opened, And the palace is dissolved.

7 I t is decreed: She shall be led away captive, She shall be brought up; And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves, Beating their breasts.

And it is established -- she hath removed, She hath been brought up, And her handmaids are leading as the voice of doves, Tabering on their hearts.

8 T hough Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, Now they flee away. “Halt! Halt!” they cry; But no one turns back.

And Nineveh as a pool of waters, From of old it -- and they are fleeing! `Stand ye, stand;' and none is turning!

9 T ake spoil of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of treasure, Or wealth of every desirable prize.

Seize ye silver, seize ye gold, And there is no end to the prepared things, the abundance of all desirable vessels.

10 S he is empty, desolate, and waste! The heart melts, and the knees shake; Much pain is in every side, And all their faces are drained of color.

She is empty, yea, emptiness and waste, And the heart hath melted, And the knees have smitten together, And great pain in all loins, And the faces of all of them have gathered paleness.

11 W here is the dwelling of the lions, And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, And no one made them afraid?

Where the habitation of lionesses? And a feeding-place it for young lions Where walked hath a lion, an old lion, A lion's whelp, and there is none troubling.

12 T he lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, Killed for his lionesses, Filled his caves with prey, And his dens with flesh.

The lion is tearing parts his whelps, And is strangling for his lionesses, And he doth fill prey his holes, And his habitations rapine.

13 “ Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.”

Lo, I against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have burned in smoke its chariot, And thy young lions consume doth a sword, And I have cut off from the land thy prey, And not heard any more is the voice of thy messengers!